Paradigm Shift
by Roman Empire
Summary: I didn't think that my love for my Gardevoir would end like this! I need to hurry if I want to have any chance at a relationship, because if I don't, she'll be gone forever.
1. A Bad Start to a Long Day

**Hello eveyone! This is my first story, so please, criticize responsibly. I figure that the quality will come with more experience. And bacon. Can't forget the bacon. Anyhow, please rate and review. Send flames even. They give me a good chuckle, knowing that you wasted your time writing them. Enjoy the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon, Nintendo, Game Freak, etc., but it would be awesome if I did. I only own my own name and the nicknames of my Pokemon.**

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><p>Paradigm Shift<p>

A Bad Start to a Long Day

"Uuuggghhh…" I stretched, got out of bed, and started up a pot of coffee. "Why do we have to get up at…" I checked the clock on the microwave. "Four thirty? You said it started at SIX!" I was thoroughly annoyed that my sleep had been interrupted at such an hour.

"It is at six," a feminine voice responded. "But it takes place in Lilycove. And goodness knows that it'll take us an eternity to get there, especially the way you walk."

"Yeah, but – " I started, remembering the progress, or lack thereof, we made in the past week. "Touché. But can't you just teleport us there? I mean, I'm not eager to travel five miles. On foot, no less. After what it took to get here, I'm exhausted! And like I said, it's four thirty!"

"How easy do you think it is to teleport us there? Hmm? Teleportation takes more energy than you think. And I want to preserve my psychic abilities for the actual events, not the transportation. Because at full strength, I'll blow everyone away! Nobody stands a chance against me!" I watched as Grace got herself psyched up for the competition. I was not ready to hear her rant on about it.

"Grace? Grace!" She snapped out of her stupor to look at me. After knowing her for a couple of years now, I could tell what she was thinking most of the time. At the moment, she was dreaming about winning the trophy at the Annual Psy-competition. "I'll walk with you, obviously, but quit worrying about it. You'll do wonderfully. Especially with a trainer like me!" I puffed out my chest and exposed my massive ego.

Grace giggled at this. Through everything we've been through, she still finds it comical that I always flaunt my magnificent personality. "You're such an idiot. You know that right?" She continued, smiling pitifully at me.

"Yeah, but I'm your idiot!" For some reason, this cracked her up even more than she had been already, sending her into fits of laughter. I couldn't help but laugh myself. Soon, we were both laughing loudly, and I was partly worried that we'd wake everyone else up.

Grace read my thoughts, and stopped laughing. "So? We're getting them up anyway, aren't we?"

"Umm, no," I said sheepishly. Grace looked at me awkwardly, awaiting an explanation. "You see, they've been travelling awhile, and I kinda wanted to, umm, have it just, you know, just the two of us." An image flashed in my head. I tried to shake it off, but I wasn't quick enough. Grace had looked into my thoughts, and I feared the worst.

She gasped, and I covered my head in embarrassment. I was awaiting something – a slap on the face, a kick in the groin, _both_ – but when nothing happened, I looked up. What I was not expecting was to see Grace standing there, blushing profusely.

I started to explain. "Grace, I – " But she held up a hand for silence, so I shut my mouth. Grace usually respected my private thoughts, but this time, I had thought at the wrong time. _Perfect. _Now, I thought this particular thought occasionally. Okay, more than occasionally. But I always had managed to shake it off before Grace could see it. I understood why it would offend her, and to be frank, I felt it would ruin the relationship we currently had.

"Why?" she said, dragging me out of my thoughts. I looked at her, trying to understand what she was asking. "Why me? I mean, I'm not even human. Why would you think about something like that with a Pokémon?"

True. Grace was not a human. Specifically, she was a Gardevoir. And not just any Gardevoir, but a gorgeous one. Like most others, she had long green hair, ruby red eyes, and a billowing white ball gown, which I often wondered whether or not it was completely attached to her. However, the part that I noticed was different was her robust… bust. It wasn't obnoxious, but it was definitely not flat. And apart from her sexual differentiation, she had a great personality, as cheesy as that sounds. She was nice, but realistic. She was shy, but not awkward. And she was caring. In all my time in Hoenn, I had never met someone with such a heart for others.

I noticed that she was still awaiting an answer. _So she hadn't read my thoughts yet?_ _I guess I could still fix this._ "W-Well, I-I-I wanted t-to tell y-you. B-But I never quite figured out how." I realized how lame I sounded.

She began to look somewhat angry. "Is that why you caught me? Because you wanted me to do that with you?" I felt hurt at this. "After all this time, all those years, you just think of me as some kind of… of…?" she seemed unable to say the word, but she had certainly gotten the point across. The point being that she had no idea what I thought of her.

"Grace, wait, it's not like that!" I protested. I was too late. She quickly floated out the door and slammed it shut with her psychic powers. _Great. Just great. She gets into my head and sees an image of the two of us having… relations, but doesn't stick around enough to hear me out. _To hear me explain that I've loved her for years, not just physically, but with the desire to be closer emotionally as well.

I ran down the hall to look for her. I figured she would have left the house and started walking to Lilycove. And I was right. At the end of the driveway, I saw her floating off. I called out to her as I began to catch up. She turned around, and I prepared to explain to her what she was really seeing in my mind. As soon as I opened my mouth, though, she tripped me using Psychic. I looked up and caught the word 'pervert' as she teleported off.

I got up and brushed off the dust. _So she would have made me walk the whole way, but if she was going alone, she had no problem teleporting? Go figure._ I went back towards the house, catching a glimpse of my bike near the porch. Realizing I had to do something, I left a note for my other Pokémon, grabbed my pack, and hopped on the bike. _This is going to be a long trip._


	2. Soul Searching

**Thank you for the feedback, everyone! It really helped. I hope that this next chapter starts to address some of the issues with the first. And yes, there will be more explanations with later chapters. For now, enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Nintendo, Game Freak, Pokemon, etc. All characters (save myself) and locations are their property. I only own the nicknames.**

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><p>Soul Searching<p>

After leaving Fortree City on my bike (which, due to the really tall grass, was not the brightest of choices), I started thinking. _Why did she just run off like that? _From what I understand, when a woman finds out about a dude's inner thoughts, one of two things happen: 1. He gets what he wants, which is evidently also what she wants. 2. He gets yelled at and she refuses to talk to him. _I mean, we've known each other for years. I didn't expect her to just throw herself on the bed and beg for me. But I sure as hell didn't think she'd try and leave me!_ In hindsight, I wish she'd just slapped me in the face.

As I passed the overgrown shrubbery on Route 120, my thoughts changed. _Maybe she's not who I think she is. After all, have I ever asked her whether or not she was happy with me? Sure, she seemed happy, but what do I know? With the events that happened back at the house this morning, I'm beginning to question whether or not she actually 'agreed' to join me on my journey..._

4 Years Previously

"C'mon, c'mon!" I rubbed the sticks together as fast as I could, but nothing happened. No fire. No smoke. I looked at the pile of dead grass and birch bark I was using as tinder. Because of the past few days of nonstop rain, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that it wasn't lighting. But I'm still allowed to be frustrated. I sat there, sopping wet, trying to come up with a plan.

Evidently, Route 102 was smaller on paper, considering I was nowhere near Oldale Town or Petalburg City. It was something I should have considered before I left home. Something else I should have considered was that I would need a Pokémon with me. After three days, I had all but given up the hope that I would catch one on the way.

One depressed sigh later, I decided it would be best if I got some sleep. So with all the dignity I could muster, I crawled up underneath a large tree and began to drift off. It was an uneasy rest, but it was enough to shield out the rain and the cold.

I must not have eaten for a while, seeing as when I woke up at what I judged to be about seven, my stomach growled enough to put a Mightyena to shame. I groggily went through my bag to see that I only had a few berries left. "Aww man! One Oran Berry, one Pecha Berry, and three Cheri Berries! What next? A starving Pokémon?"

As if on cue, I heard a rustling in the bushes. I jumped up, scared of what might be there. After an eternity of suspense, I saw a little Ralts fall out of the brush. I breathed a sigh of relief, but something was wrong. I walked over to the Pokémon and felt my heart sink.

It was covered in cuts, scrapes, and bruises, it seemed unable to stand on its own, and it looked as if it hadn't had sufficient food for days. Its breathing was labored, and it began to cough up small amounts of blood. Every need I had for myself vanished instantly, and I did what I felt I was obligated to do, given the state of the poor creature.

"Here you go." I held out the berries to the Ralts, but it was either unwilling or unable to accept them. "C'mon, you need to eat something. You look awful." I felt a small surge of negativity when I said this. I was wondering where it came from, but then I remembered that Ralts was a Feeling Pokémon. I was feeling the Ralts' dissatisfaction at my comment. "No, I didn't mean it like that! It just looks like you could use some help."

Every minute I was talking was a minute wasted that I could be taking the Ralts to a Pokémon Center. But it wasn't cooperating. It didn't seem to realize the situation it was in. So I decided on a different approach. "Okay, I understand. But if you change your mind, I'll be over here." I silently prayed that this would work.

After a moment or two, I watched as the Ralts creeped its way towards my rough shelter. It sat down and stared at me through bloodshot eyes. _Dammit! How sick is this little guy?_ I felt another bit of displeasure and looked at the Ralts. It looked back. No, wait, _she_ looked back. At this, the bad feeling went away. "So you're a little girl, are you not?" She looked at me, eerily at first, but then gave a slow nod. "Alrighty then, are you hungry?" When I held up the Oran Berry, her eyes grew wide. She reached for it, but then her hand jerked back.

"It's okay. I want you to have it." And in the blink of an eye, she grabbed the berry, sunk her teeth into it, and allowed the hunger to recede slightly. As she devoured the blue fruit, I readied the Pecha Berry. When she finished the Oran Berry, I hardly had time to give her the Pecha Berry before she started the process over again. By the time she got through my last Cheri Berry, her hunger seemed to have been satiated.

"Do you feel better now?" I got a small burp as an answer. I chuckled slightly, but then I decided that enough time had been wasted. "How about we get you fixed up so you'll be at peak condition?" She perked up at this, but it was the last thing she did before she passed out. "Oh SHIT!"

Without a second thought, I scooped her up, grabbed my bag, and sprinted for the direction of Petalburg City. At the rate I had been moving previously, it would have taken me over a day to get there. But with a dying Ralts in my arms and andrenaline flushing my system, I somehow managed the journey in an hour and a half. Before I had time to take in my surroundings, I rushed for the building with the red roof – the universal sign of the Pokémon Center.

Before anybody could register that I had even entered the door, I was at the counter. "Nurse Joy, Nurse Joy! I need your help!"

She appeared before me with a look on her face that said she was prepared. "What is it?"

"It's this Ralts! She's hurt bad. I found her out on 102. She seemed pretty beat up at first, but then she was okay. After that she went out cold. Please help her!"

"Chansey!" At once, a small parade of Chanseys in nurses' hats rushed into the waiting room with a stretcher. Before I knew it, the little Ralts was taken from my arms, placed on the stretcher, and rushed into the ER.

"What is taking them so long! Shouldn't they be done by now?" I had been pacing the Pokémon Center for over an hour. The elevator style music in the waiting room would have normally given me a migraine, but that wasn't at the top of my list. Right now, I was busy worrying about that Ralts.

No sooner had I thought of asking Joy – again – how things were going, than the doors of the ER opened. I stood staring as I watched a Chansey walk out and look at me. "Chansey. Chan."

"Uhh… is she gonna be okay?" I was not fluent in the language of Pokémon, so I had no clue whether or not the Ralts was in the clear. The Chansey stepped to the side to reveal a small Ralts, fully healed and bouncing up on what I assumed were her heels. "You're alright!" Despite her only being conscious in my presence for roughly ten minutes, she seemed like she couldn't wait to see me again.

The two of us ran towards each other and she jumped into my arms. I felt someone tapping on my shoulder, so I turned around. "Excuse me, Mister…?" Nurse Joy hadn't gotten my personal information because of the recent events.

"Forget that 'mister' jazz. Call me Mo." I had gone by the name Mo for as long as I could remember, despite the fact that it wasn't my real one.

"Er… Mo, is this Ralts yours?" Nurse Joy waited while I explained about seeing the Ralts in the bushes, giving her the berries, and then the trek to the Pokémon Center. "If that's the case, then you need to make a decision: Keep the Ralts, or release her back into the wild." I looked down at the Ralts, and she looked up at me.

"Well, I suppose it's as much your decision as it is mine." The Ralts smiled happily before she pulled me into a hug. "Nurse Joy, I think that we'll stick together."

"In that case, you'll need this." She handed me a Pokéball. I held it out to the Ralts, who promptly tapped the button, sucking her inside in a flash of red light. I heard the telltale sound of a caught Pokémon, then released my newest partner.

"Are you ready for an adventure –" I got cut short as a thought occurred to me. "Do you have a name?" She shook her head. "Would you like one?" Judging by the fact that she was bouncing up and down like a jackhammer, I took it she wanted a name. "Alright, alright, relax. Now let's see… Aha! How about Grace?" Ralts – I mean Grace – was brimming with joy. "Grace it is then."

Present

I stopped for a minute on my long ride to Lilycove and admired the greenery on Route 121. After thinking about when we met, I was wondering if Grace still saw the same person in me today as she did back then. Probably taking the idea too literally, I walked over to a small pond and looked down. I saw a face staring back at me. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary with it. There were still the same muddy eyes, the same brown hair, the same partially vacant expression._ I don't remember it being any different than when we first met._

I figured that had to count for something, but I didn't know what. All I knew was… yeah, I wasn't any closer to getting Grace back on my side than I was four miles ago. And I was almost at Lilycove. Checking my watch, I saw that there was only fifteen minutes left until the competition started. No doubt Grace would be competing anyway. _And I still need to come up with a really good argument for what went on in my head. Well, I guess I'll know how she _really_ feels in fifteen minutes' time._


	3. Inversion

Inversion

(Chapter 3)

I stared in awe at Lilycove City. I had seen pictures of it in magazines and on TV, but seeing it in person was a completely different experience. I looked up at the enormous department store, where you could purchase virtually anything. I noted the waves crashing into the shoreline, and the couples sitting on the beach. _Maybe Grace and I can relax there later._ It then struck me that I still needed to locate and explain to her my every intention. I allowed my eyes to wander until they fell upon the Pokémon Contest Hall. That was to be the location of the Psy-competition today. I hurried over, none too eager to put this whole fiasco to rest.

I entered the Contest Hall, and I was once again caught off guard. There were trainers on one side, there were trainers on the other. There were trainers everywhere from Timbuktu to East Jabib. They were talking about things such as Pokéblocks, the Elite Four, foreign Pokémon, and the Psy-competition, obviously. I continued on my way to the front desk, while still keeping an ear out for a "lone Gardevoir," or something along those lines.

"Hello," I said to the lady at the counter, though I was only half-aware of what I was doing.

"Hello, sir. If you're here for the Psy-competition, you're just in time. We were just about to close entry."

"Umm, yeah. Wait, what'd you say?"

"I said that we're closing entry to the Psy-competition. Would you like to enter?" She seemed somewhat annoyed with me.

"Oh, right. Sorry, I'm a little distracted. Yes, I'd like to enter, but first I have a question."

"Yes?" She was becoming quite impatient.

"Did a Gardevoir show up earlier?"

"Sir, this is a competition for Psychic-type Pokémon. There were a couple of Gardevoirs that showed up."

"How about a _lone_ Gardevoir?"

At hearing this, the attendance lady's expression changed. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, after an argument we had this morning, she stormed out. And after seeing your reaction, I know she showed up here."

She gave a deep sigh. "What's your name?"

"Mo. Now where is she?"

After putting what I assumed was my name into a computer, she took me to a long red hallway. "Room H3. Just go right in."

"H3?"

"The Gardevoir room. Gardevoir is the third Psychic-type in Hoenn Pokédex."

"Right. Uhh, thanks." The lady left, clearly happy that she was leaving my presence. I stood staring at the door for several minutes, before I managed to work up the nerve to knock. I slowly opened the door, preparing for what was going to happen once I was inside. _What is she gonna say? Will she run away? Will she_ hurt_ me? _After deciding that thinking about it was doing me no good, I took a deep breath and turned the knob.

Inside, there were only five trainers, like the attendee said, who were sitting with their Gardevoirs. There was a mustached man, probably in his forties; a young woman with bright red hair; an older woman with curly black hair; a short boy of about ten; and lastly, a teenage girl who looked remarkably like a Gardevoir herself. I looked around, taking in the furniture. There were two red sofas on either side of me, and a small red loveseat against the back wall, with end tables placed at the corners. As I continued my search, my eyes fell on a figure sitting far from the others with her head in her hands. "Grace?"

She looked up. I noticed that her eyes were watering heavily, and that her face was covered in tear stains. "What do you want?" The accusation in the tone of her voice was clear, even in her telepathy.

"Grace, you need to let me explain."

"I don't need to let you do _shit_." I had never heard Grace swear before. I was treading deep water. I became conscious that the other Gardevoirs and their trainers were watching the two of us, but I really didn't care. If Grace would shout in her telekinetic voice, I would shout in my real one.

"Grace, please! Don't do this! First you run away, then you practically bite my head off! I didn't mean to offend you. I just never knew how to tell you that –"

"That what? You want to treat me like a sex toy!" As Grace's anger rose, I felt myself gaining more control of the situation.

"That I love you." Grace seemed unprepared for this. Her expression changed from angry to confused.

"What?"

"I love you Grace. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Now, I know that sounds corny, but please! You need to understand. I've felt this way for a long time. At first it was just because you were my friend, but after awhile, I realized that I could never care about anyone else the way I care about you."

Grace was left speechless for a moment, but she quickly pulled herself together. "If you're so sincere, then how come I saw what I saw in your head this morning?"

"I'm a guy, and I'm sixteen. Do the math." I didn't mean to sound accusatory, but seriously. _I'm a sixteen year old guy! What else do I think about?_

Again, Grace was at a loss for words, until she came up with something that even I couldn't answer without feeling awkward. "But I'm a Pokémon. Doesn't that bother you?"

"I'll admit, the idea is a little unnerving. Even so, I still love you, human or not."

She looked at me for what seemed like an eternity. I suppose she was trying to see if I was lying. I kept my focus on those ruby irises of hers the whole time. I stared into her eyes, while she stared into mine. And before I could react, she kissed me. I recoiled slightly; I really wasn't expecting it. She seemed worried at first, until I smiled to reassure her that it was okay. I held my hand out to her, and she took it, returned the smile, then we locked lips in a kiss that contained every ounce of love and passion that we could muster. Telepathically, I asked her if I was forgiven.

"Only if you don't stop."

It was a few seconds later (or a few hours; I really couldn't tell) that I heard a light clapping. I broke the kiss with Grace, which seemed to disappoint her. I looked up to see the teenage girl smiling, clapping in unison with her Gardevoir. I noted that everyone else was looking at us, all with a pleasant expression on their faces. However, the girl spoke first. "Congratulations, guys! I'm so happy for you!"

"Umm… Thanks, but who are you exactly?" Being congratulated on my new relationship by a stranger was a little off. At least the rest of the 'audience' contained themselves.

"Hallie Santouchi, pleased to make your acquaintance! I couldn't help but observe your, erm, breakthrough, and I just wanted to tell you good luck. What are your names, Grace and…?"

"Uhh… Mo." I looked at Grace for help, but she was at a loss.

"We should get together sometime! What do you think?"

"Well, as you can see, we're working through some personal issues."

"Oh it's okay, I'll just visit you in Fortree."

"Wait, how do you know –"

"That's my little secret." She winked, then continued ranting. "Yeah, with such a close bond, you guys are sure to win the Psy-competition."

"The Psy-? Oh yeah! I forgot all about that!"

Not a minute later, another competition attendee came in and told everyone to line up and head out to the main hall. Grace and I, still a little shaken up from the earlier 'occurrences' that we had undergone, got in line behind the others. We were led into a large room that had row upon row of spectators, all cheering, booing, or showing off their painted man boobs.

I could see the emcee readying the mike. "Good morning, ladies, gentlemen, and Pokémon alike. Welcome to the annual Psy-competition, the only competition where you can win just by thinking about it! Now, we have many contestants with us today, so we'll start off in groups. All Kanto contestants will participate in Hall A, all Johto contestants in Hall B, all Hoenn in Hall C, Sinnoh in Hall D, and Unova in Room E. When the numbers dwindle low enough, we'll get everyone back here for the BIG show. Now, contestants, to your Halls!"

I allowed myself to be ushered along until we came into another, smaller room. I observed that only Hoenn Psychic-types were present. Another emcee showed up and put everyone into different groups. Grace and I were in the telekinetic group. We started simple, bending spoons and knives, working up to Grace beating the other telekinetics by bending a steel girder.

Afterwards, we conquered the ESP portion without incident. We won the prediction group by default, seeing as Grace was the only remaining Hoenn contestant who knew Future Sight. The emcee announced us as the winners of the Hoenn division, and we rejoined the four remaining contestants, one with an Alakazam, another with a Xatu, another with a Bronzong, the last with a Beheeyem. "Tough competition, huh Grace?"

"Not for me." I could tell she was fighting to keep a straight face. False egotism was not her strong place.

"Hey, share. We'll take these guys together." Grace smiled at me, then redoubled her focus. We were ready for whatever they thought they could throw at us.

"For our Grand Finale, we will feature an elimination-style tournament battle!" The crowd cheered as the emcee explained the rules. "And seeing as we have an odd number of opponents, I shall fill in as the sixth man." Everyone cheered for him as he brought out his Medicham, and he took a moment to bask in the limelight. "To avoid any favoritism, though, if I win, my runner-up shall take the trophy. Now, if you'll divert your attention to the screen, you'll see who's paired up with who." I followed his gaze up to a large screen, where a family-tree type diagram had a branch from my name to someone named Geoffrey.

I walked to one side of an arena as the man with the Alakazam walked to the other. I noted his dark appearance, like he hadn't seen sunlight for a few days. I then focused on his Alakazam. It was top-heavy, and probably kept its balance using psychic energy. _But not enough to weaken it in battle. _Then I had an idea. _Lightning strikes the tallest object._ I had no clue where that fact came from, but I knew how it would help.

I told Grace my plan telepathically. As soon as I'd finished, I heard a bell ring for the battle to begin. "Grace, quick, use Shadow Ball!" Grace focused her energy into the dark sphere in her hands as the Alakazam's trainer commanded it to use Future Sight. Now, I knew my Future Sights. They usually took about thirty seconds to hit. _That should give us just enough time._ Grace launched the Shadow Ball at the Alakazam. Or so everyone thoght. What she really did was shoot it _above_ the Alakazam. "Alrighty then, time for part two!" With the Shadow Ball floating above the confused Pokémon, Grace used Psychic to tear it into what looked like a giant, black spider web. She then sent the very core of it right at the Alakazam's head, then twirled it so that he couldn't escape. "Now let's finish this! Thunderbolt!" Grace's hands crackled with electricity, while the Alakazam tried desperately to escape his inky black prison. She sent a large bolt of lightning straight to the web of darkness. I remember learning a few years ago that energy often was attracted to other energy. This included lightning and dark aura. The Thunderbolt connected with the edge of the fragmented Shadow Ball, then the real magic happened. The entire web lit up with electricity, then it was all funneled to the center, where a very unlucky Alakazam had closed its eyes, as if to wish it were somewhere else. There was a bright flash, followed by a huge explosion. When the dust settled, the Alakazam lay on the ground, clearly unconscious.

"Alakazam is unable to battle. Gardevoir is the winner!" I was a little annoyed at the fact that the referee didn't use Grace's name, but not enough to make me forget that the Alakazam's Future Sight hadn't struck yet.

"Grace, use Calm Mind! No questions!" She did as I said, and not a second too soon. As soon as she started glowing, the air around her warped and she was blasted several feet back.

"Phew! Thanks, Mo!" I felt warm hearing her gratefulness. "I completely forgot. That would have really hurt."

"Don't mention it. Now, let's see what's up next!" I listened as the emcee announced that Grace and I had one, the Bronzong's trainer, Markus, had won his battle, and the woman with the Beheeyem, Annabelle, won hers against the emcee himself. "Now, since we once again have an odd number of trainers, we shall have a Battle Royale, albeit a small one. The three trainers will fight in one large battle, with every man for himself." We were directed to separate corners of a large triangular stadium. "At the sound of the bell, begin!" Shortly thereafter, a loud bell clanged. Grace, the Bronzong, and the Beheeyem poised themselves in defensive positions, ready for whatever would come.

I was a little nervous, since I had two opponents that could potentially gang up on Grace, but I dismissed this feeling in order to think logically. "Grace, keep your wits about you!" As I began formulating a plan, the Bronzong had whipped up an enormous monsoon using Rain Dance. That gave me the idea for another electrical attack. "Grace, use Thunderbolt on Beheeyem!" Evidently, I wasn't the only one who knew their basic elementary school science. The Bronzong used Charge Beam at the same time, and with both Electric-type attacks striking Beheeyem with the assistance of the rain, it was too much. The Beheeyem was blasted backwards into the wall, and before it could use a single move, it was out cold. Now it was Grace versus Bronzong. With dual types, my opponent had the advantage, but I had Grace. That was a huge asset.

I decided to wait until Bronzong made the next move, so as to use that attack against it somehow. I had been taking Hapkido for several years now, and one of their basic ideas was to use your opponent's own strengths against them. "Bronzong, use Hypnosis!" That, somehow gave me one of best ideas ever. _Thank you, Markus._

"Grace, use Psychic to keep your mind blocked off from it!" She did as told, but it seemed to cause her quite a bit of strain. Once again, I sent my plan telepathically, then braced myself for the upcoming pain. "Break the Hypnosis, then use Psychic on me! Don't hold back!" Grace seemed hesitant to do this, but she conceded, to my great distaste. I'd had headaches before, but none like this. It felt like my brain was being torn out, steamrolled, then used to slap me across the face. I somehow managed to focus during the battle, when I saw the Bronzong's Hypnosis finally work. With great focus, I told Grace to keep a Psychic channel open between us in her sleep. I also apologized for the pain she was about to experience.

"Alright. If you insist." She passed out, and I watched her twitch in her sleep. _Come on, come on, please have that move._

"Bronzong, use Dream Eater!" _Yes!_ Soon Markus would experience one of the greatest losses in his life. Grace glowed pink, then began losing her energy to Bronzong. Everything seemed normal at first, until the Bronzong collapsed to the ground, twitching. When it had used Dream Eater, it received all the pain that Grace and I were currently experiencing. This didn't stop it, though. It managed to shake it off, then attempted Charge Beam. I was glad that Bronzong had taken away the pain, because now I could think clearly. I focused on Grace waking up with every possible portion of my mind. Grace opened her eyes, then got up slowly.

"Grace, Thunderbolt!" She somehow managed to muster up the energy to launch a Thunderbolt that matched the energy of the Charge Beam. The two Electric-type attacks collided in the air, superpowered by the Rain Dance from the start of the battle. The two moves were at an impasse, and neither Pokémon refused to yield. _Grace, you've wanted to win this for years now! You're only a few seconds away from victory! You can do this!_" Apparently, this was all it took to give Grace the motivation, confidence, or whatever it was that caused her to send the Charge Beam and Thunderbolt into the Bronzong's face, knocking it out instantly. Grace collapsed to the ground, drained, but conscious.

"And the winners are Grace and Mo! Congratulations!" The crowd exploded in cheers. "They will be awarded the first place trophy, and the respect of every Psychic-type Pokémon in five regions. Once again, let's hear it for our champions!" I helped Grace to her... feet. I looked at her, and I could see that this was probably the greatest moment of her life up until then. _Congratulations, Grace. Enjoy your victory. You deserve it._

10 Minutes Later

"Yes! Yes! Yes! I can't believe we did it!" Grace kept leaping into the air, refusing to listen when I told her to settle down, obviously rejuvenated by the victory. "How can I? We won the competition!"

"Grace! Contain yourself! How about we celebrate with some breakfast? I'm starved!" As if on cue, Grace's stomach growled. "I like it when my company has good taste." Grace and I began laughing, and we headed into a nearby diner for a bite. We were seated, and we didn't have to wait long before our food arrived.

"Hey, M-Mo?" Grace suddenly seemed nervous. She hadn't sounded like that since we made up earlier that morning.

"Whats up?" I was getting concerned at Grace's sudden change of mood.

"I'm s-sorry." She began to get goosebumps, from nerves I suppose.

"For what?"

"This morning. When I ran out. I didn't give you a good enough chance to explain yourself. I just thought that I was seeing some pervert's sick thoughts."

"Technically, you were. Just because I'm a pervert (_which I'm not; I'm just sixteen!_), it doesn't mean I can't love." I could see this had a positive effect on her.

"And, umm…" Grace looked down at her hands, which had begun to entwine each other.

"Yes?" I urged her to keep talking.

"Well, if you want, I mean you don't have to, but if you want, then maybe we could do that."

"Do 'that'?" I was honestly confused, until an image showed up in my head. The thought wasn't mine. It was Grace's. Actually, it was my thought _that morning._ But now _Grace_ was suggesting something intimate. I decided that now was as good a time as any.

"Does that answer your question?" Grace smiled sheepishly.

"It does, but the answer is 'no'." I enjoyed watching her expression of awkward happiness change once again to confusion.

"But, I thought –"

"No, _I_ thought. And it was just a thought. I wouldn't do that with you without having filled certain criteria first."

"Well, how do I meet those criteria?" I was curious as to Grace's constant change in sexual attraction towards me, but I passed it off as Grace being an Emotion Pokémon. That would also explain these mood swings.

"That depends." I pulled a small black box out of my pocket and flipped the lid open. Inside was a small silver band with a purple tanzanite stone set into the top. I heard Grace gasp, letting her jaw drop as she put her hand to her chest. "Grace, will you marry me?"


End file.
